Virginia Golfer Jan / Feb 2016 | Page 14

GREAT Holes No.3 PAR 3 YARDAGES RIVER BEND GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB by BRUCE H. MATSON 12 BLUE: 133 yards GREEN: 113 yards RED: 100 yards WHITE: 125 yards bunkers, invading trees and failing infrastructure.” The redesign, however, was stunning. In fact, the changes are so significant that the course is essentially a Foster original. “My primary objective was to redesign the golf course to reflect the membership,” he offered. The par-3 3rd hole provides an interesting summary of the major aspects of River Bend’s entire renovation. First, the hole is exciting, challenging and visually stunning. Next, located on the site of the club’s former dump and maintenance shed, the hole testifies to both the significance of the changes as well as the creative eye of the architect. Finally, routing the hole down a hill away from the clubhouse permits the membership to enjoy the splendor of the design far more often than just when playing the hole. Most great golf courses feature a short, but challenging par 3. Consider the 12th at Augusta National, the 8th at Royal Troon, the 7th at Pebble Beach, the 17th at the TPC Stadium course and fantastic one-shot holes at Merion, Cypress Point and others. These holes help “democratize” the game— almost any player can select a club and have a go at these beautiful, but often beguiling holes. No. 3 at River Bend, fits in with this list of great holes. V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | J A N UA R Y / F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 6 The hole plays downhill from the clubhouse, featuring a 40-foot drop to a modest green. With a bunker on the front right and the creek coming in from the left, precision is required. As Foster commented, “the green is nestled quietly” below a modest rise and above the hazard left. The putting surface offers interesting contours and will challenge the short game of those missing the green or seeking birdie. Even for the member or guest that pulls the tee shot into the creek left of the green, the primary thought is not despair, but eagerness to return and have another “go” at such a wonderful hole. With its quiet place in an otherwise chaotic region, too few players realize the extraordinary treat awaiting them at the bend in the river. VSGA members will have a unique opportunity to see this “new” gem in May when the private club hosts the VSGA Four-Ball Stroke-Play Championship. VSGA President Bruce H. Matson is a writer from Richmond and a member of Golfweek’s national rating panel for its “America’s Best 100 Courses.” vsga.org RIVER BEND GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB B efore northern Virginia experienced the explosive growth that began in the 1970s and continued through the end of the century, a new private country club set down stakes in a quiet, somewhat hidden corner of that region, near a bend in the Potomac River. Before Lowes Island (now Trump National), Avenel, Reston National, and Alkongian moved into the neighborhood, Ed Ault and Al Jamison designed an 18-hole course in Great Falls in 1961 at that new club, which took the name River Bend Golf & Country Club. By the turn of the century, the golfing grounds at River Bend were ready for change. Known for highly praised renovation work at numerous courses including Southern Hills and Colonial Country Club, as well as Hermitage CC and Baltimore CC more locally, the club engaged Keith Foster to work on a master plan, which eventually included a wholesale renovation of the golf course. Foster’s work was completed and available for member play in 2011. Looking back on the original course at the time the renovated layout reopened, golf writer Jonathan Cummings explained that the former setup had been known for “old pushup greens, un-level tees, capped BLACK: 147 yards